Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Bartlett Lake Scenes

I made a trip to Bartlett Lake last Friday.  It's about 40 miles north of Phoenix and is known for its fine wildflowers.  There are also a lot of massive saguaros, as you can see here along with a nice blooming paloverde. 

Saguaro spines up close.

A nice buckhorn cholla bloom.

Sonoran poppies near the lake.

The cholla are blooming prolifically!

It's always cool to see saguaros right next to a large, body of water.  Blooming brittlebrush in the foreground.

Another nice shot of saguaros and Bartlett Lake.  The big southwestern reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are only about half full but Bartlett is right at capacity.

Teddy bear cholla above the lake.

The lizards are of course in their natural habitat in the desert.  They loved the scene at Bartlett!

This is one of the best blooming teddy bear chollas I've seen!  They're thriving this year.

Globemallow near the lake.

White poppies are uncommon in the Arizona desert but you can always find some in the hills just west of Bartlett Lake.

Desert marigolds are common...and pretty.
 

On the way back from Bartlett Lake, my trusty Solara turned over 100K.  I've had the car for five years and three months. 

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Lake Pleasant Wildflowers

I went up to Lake Pleasant, a bit north of Phoenix, yesterday.  The wildflowers are in decline, but the cactus are beginning to bloom nicely!  Here's a trio of buckhorn cholla blooms.

These flowers are in teddy bear chollas.  You have to be careful when getting close to these plants!

Macro shot of ocotillo flowers near the lake.

These red flowers are produced by a hedgehog type cactus...don't know the exact name.

Chollas produce a variety of colors in their flowers.  These orange blooms are from another buckhorn.

I hiked a trail near the lake and found many chollas with unusually profuse blooms!  The hike was delightful!

Near the lake, I came upon desert mariposa lilies.  Nature's works of art.

Not a flower, but the spines of a fishhook barrel cactus are works of art.  I love the surreal forms of nature in the desert, and the bright flowers in the harsh landscape.  They're uplifting.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Spring blooms...and critters...in the Arizona Desert

I'm on my annual spring migration to the Arizona desert.  The rain year has been about average here, enough to produce a nice bloom.  Here's an ocotillo.

Hedgehog cactus blooms.  The cacti are a bit slow this year...there was a hard freeze in January and many areas above 1500 feet saw a bit of snow in February!

Paloverde blooms and buds.

A prickly pear produces a red flower, with a bee working industriously within.

Cristate saguaro!  This one is at Tohono Chul park in Tucson.  No, the cactus doesn't have eyes...those are bird holes in the trunk.  I know of a number of cristate saguaros, but they're rare...occurring only once in several thousand cacti.

Always love the closeup pix of saguaro spines.

Desert tortoise at Tohono Chul.  This guy has his own enclosure at the park.

This prickly pear will be sporting many fine flowers very soon!

Blow up the pic and you'll see the tail of a baby rattlesnake, heading away through the shadow.  He was on the path at Tohono Chul just before I arrived...this was the best pic I could get.  You have to keep an eye out for rattlers in Tucson...my friends here have snake tongs at the ready in their yards.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Headin' to Arizona

I'm headed for Arizona on my annual spring trip.  First day was down the coast on a sparkling sunny day, mostly with the top down.  I stopped in one of my favorite beach towns, Cayucos, and found a local hangin' out on the pier.

Surf at Pismo Beach from my motel room balcony.  Pismo pier in the distance.  Always pleasant here...Pismo is a great beach town and reminds me of the Australian beach towns in its comfort and informality.

Today I hiked to 49 Palm Oasis in Joshua Tree National Park.  This was my second time on the trail, but the first was 40 years ago...in 1973!  The oasis is looking good.

Cool barrel cactus on the oasis trail.

Cholla flower.

I have only seen these bright red cactus flowers in JTNP.  I know many of the cactus species in the SW US, but not this one.

Mojave yucca in full bloom.

Hiked the Pine City trail this afternoon and found this gnarly dead pinyon pine.

There are cool rocks in Pine City, along with the pines.  There was never a city here...just a miners cabin or two which are long gone.

A profusion of fine cactus flowers. 

Millennia of freezing, thawing, and erosion have produced countless funky rock fields in JTNP.  It would take months or years to explore them all.

The Lizards are back in their element!  They found a fine basking rock at the Hidden Valley picnic area.  I didn't even see the graffiti on the rock until I looked at the photo.

Joshua Tree blooms, with cool rocks in the background.